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4. Arranger. Now here’s where it starts to get interesting. Some of those Basie charts were fiendishly clever and in most cases would be enough to take the prize but the problem is simple: Duke had Billy Strayhorn in addition to a wider range of material that ran the full gamut of musical styles and genres. You gotta remember Duke started in the twenties and played night clubs to concert halls and everything in between. I don’t think there is any argument regarding Basie versus Duke; but beyond the leaders, I also don’t think any one of the many Basie arrangers was the match of Billy Strayhorn.”